2017.1 released

Download | Torrent | Release Notes | Blog Post | Docs | Patch Releases

Unity 2017.1 is now available on the download page (or as a torrent) and read the release notes.
Read the blog post for full details.

This release includes our new artist tools:

  • Timeline - create cutscenes, create gameplay sequences, and much more, by orchestrating your game objects, animations, sounds and scenes
  • Cinemachine - a suite of smart cameras that dynamically trigger the best shots at the best time based on scene composition and interaction
  • Post-processing stack (beta) - use image post-processing effects to simulate physical camera and film properties

Productivity improvements to the editor include FBX import, animation workflows, 2D functionality, working with assets bundles and Visual Studio integration.

2D features & improvements:

  • 2D Sprite Atlas - it comes with new and improved workflows that give you more control for packing sprites and using them at runtime
  • Sprite masks - used to either hide or reveal parts of a Sprite or group of Sprites in world space
  • Sprite Physics Shape - this has been added to the Sprite Editor and allows users to set a custom default shape on a Sprite for generating collider shapes with a PolygonCollider2D

Animation improvements:

  • New keyframing workflow
  • Statemachinebehaviour can now also be debugged in play mode in the editor
  • GameObjectRecorder is a new experimental editor feature which allows you to record any properties on a GameObject and its children

Playables API:

  • Provides a way to create tools, effects or other gameplay mechanisms by organizing and evaluating data sources in a tree-like structure known as the PlayableGraph
  • PlayableGraph - allows you to mix, blend, and modify multiple data sources, and play them through a single output

Ambisonic audio:

  • The full-sphere surround sound technique which also covers sound sources above and below the listener

Asset Bundle browser:

  • Enables you to view and edit the configuration of Asset Bundles for your Unity project
  • Intended to replace the current workflow of selecting assets and setting your Asset Bundle manually in the inspector so you now are able to view all Asset Bundle configurations in one centralized location

Scripting Runtime experimental upgrade:

  • C#6 and .NET 4.6
  • IL2CPP fully supports the new .NET 4.6 APIs, so you still get the benefits of writing in C# and getting performance of native C++

Model importer improvements:

  • Digital Content Creation workflow has been made easier with the first set of significant improvements in the process of importing assets from popular DCC tools like Maya
  • FBX import in Unity now supports Segment Scale compensation for models exported from Maya and the FBX SDK has been upgraded to 2016.1.2

Progressive lightmapper:

  • Added support for baked LODs - it will now not be necessary to author Light Probes around the LODs to get bounced light on them
  • Added support for double-sided materials in the Progressive Lightmapper by adding a new material setting that causes lighting to interact with backfaces

Realtime shadow improvements:

  • Optimised the culling of shadows casters for cascaded directional light in stable mode
  • Shadowmask and distance shadowmask light modes are now a Quality Setting and they can be changed at runtime without any cost
  • Added the Custom Render Textures as an extension to Render Textures, which allows you to easily update said texture with a shader

Particle System improvements:

  • Support for using Sprites in the Particle System via the Texture Sheet Animation Module
  • Noise Module comes with new options to provide greater control over how the noise is applied to your particles
  • New donut emission shape and edit modes for Particle system collision mode planes in the Shape Module
  • Particles can now apply forces to the Colliders they hit using the Collision module

2017.1 also introduces Unity Teams (which includes Collaborate and Cloud Build), live-ops Analytics and more. Read about it all on the blog post.

Remember to back up your projects before downloading the latest version of Unity and check out the release notes. If you encounter any issues, please let us know by submitting a bug report so it can reach our developers. Future patch releases for fixes will be found here.

Thanks again to all the users who helped with testing and giving us feedback on 2017.1 while it was in beta! Notice that we’ve locked the 2017.1 beta forum, so please create your new threads in the appropriate sections of the Forum. We’ve also released the 2017.2 beta, so head over to the 2017.2 beta forum if you want to participate in the discussions.

7 Likes

annnd… no new terrain system

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Great work on the new release, features and bugfixes! :slight_smile:

Previously and at the Unite roadmap session it was implied that no new terrain system is coming for a long time. Based on them and in the general progress of these no detailed announcements there wont be even experimental versions until mid-late 2018.

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Lets see what the community find with this release…
I hope some more clarity on things going forward and updated patch blog post…

I feel. However, I am quite impressed with the C# 6.0 and .NET 4.6. It took forever for a Scripting Run time upgrade.

About terrain though, I feel that should be like at the top of their priority list. You shouldn’t have to buy a 3rd party asset to have a good terrain system.

8 Likes

Nice job. thanks. we are waiting for 2017.2. :slight_smile:

Awesome features!

Any plan to include a new accelerator pack?

Amazing! As always, you are moving technologies forward! Great job, Unity! Thanks for your efforts!

Sweet, Well played guys. I’m so excited for the new C# 6.0 and .NET 4.6 upgrades, hopefully you guys can get this version out of the experimental phase and move onto C# 7.0, Rosyln, and .NET Core! Great work guys!

2 Likes

So much work done… yet nothing on the TrailRenderer :frowning:

Unity Editor Test runner results not written in 2017.1?

Hi @SaraCecilia , just a heads up that the download archive page isn’t yet listing all the download links for 2017.1.0, it is only listing the Torrent download links.

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Good stuff… gonna wait a bit to see if assets like UFE will work with this… I plan on making use of features like timeline to animate stuff for my characters. Could I save out animation clips from Timeline and use them in the game? That ALONE is a powerful feature. And I am hoping that the overexposure issue I am running into is fixed with the PL

Trying to use C# 6 features by trying out the null operator, but Visual Studio is giving me error messages. It compiles fine in Unity though. It seems like the language version in the VS project is incorrectly set, and I can’t find a way to set it. Bringing up the project properties, as suggested by the internet, doesn’t seem to work. VS just flickers for a moment.

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Great that it’s out. Hope this release doesn’t have massive regressions!

@SunnySunshine , don’t actually do that on UnityEngine.Object stuff.
Deleting the .sln file and .csproj files generally fixes editors not understanding which C# version they’re supposed to be using.

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can not find this feather:( is so cool!
But,what i can do !please help!thanks… :stuck_out_tongue:

“Real-time shadow improvements”
Unity Blog

We have optimised the culling of shadows casters for cascaded directional light in stable mode. “i can’t find stable mode,help me!”

Meaning fewer draw calls are issued to generate shadow maps. The gain is scene and configuration-dependent. With four cascades, for example, we have seen the number of draw calls dropped by a significant amount. Based on the sun/camera direction, there could be 50% less shadow casters on your scene. An example in Viking village:

In Unity 5.6, there are 5718 shadows casters in the scene.

In Unity 2017.1, there are only 4807 shadows casters in the same scene.

Percentage Closer Filtering (PCF) for real-time shadows is also implemented in 2017.1. Depth value for each pixel is sampled from the shadow map around the current pixel and its depth is compared to all the samples. This allows a smoother line between light and shadow. You can see the comparison in the gif below:

1 Like

Sweet

When will direct link be published?
I can only see Torrent references.
We can’t install it from command line until than.

See Can't install 2017.1.0f3? · Issue #9 · sttz/install-unity · GitHub for more.

As per System.Numerics missing in 2017.1f3 - Unity Engine - Unity Discussions … are there any other steps to getting 4.6 to ‘work’ ? System.Numerics was added in 4, seems to be awol still after selecting 4.6 in player settings.